Environmentalists have been celebrating the implementation of the Kyoto Protocol

Environmentalists have been celebrating the implementation of the Kyoto Protocol. Ratified by 141 countries, it is the first legally binding initiative to regulate climate change. But the United States, the world's biggest polluter, has rained on the parade by refusing to sign. And the protocol also excludes major developing nations such as China, India and Brazil.The earth is rapidly heating up thanks largely to greenhouse gas emmissions, caused by the burning of fossil fuels in factories and cars. By signing up to Kyoto in 1997 nations promised to try and slow down this process. If temperatures continue to increase ice caps will melt, sea levels will rise, thousands of species will become extinct and we will be at the mercy of more extreme weather. A United Nations climate panel has warned that time is running out. Kyoto wants to force us to take our foot off the gas.